1. The Switch has the best lineup of games …

Since launching in March 2017, the Nintendo Switch has taken the mantle as the must-have console for playing the best games. This is the number one reason to buy the Switch: it’s the only place to play the best games available right now.

Yes, there are excellent exclusives on the PlayStation 4 and the Xbox One. „God of War“ on PS4 and „Forza Horizon 4“ on Xbox One stick out as strong arguments for each, and that’s not wrong.

But let’s be clear: The Switch is stacked with huge, new games that can be played only on the Switch.

… like „Super Mario Odyssey“ …

It’s highly rated because it’s an outrageously good game, full of delight and surprise around every turn. „Odyssey“ is the latest example of Nintendo’s approach to major games of late: take classic franchises and evolve them to new heights.

It’s hard to overstate the quality of „Super Mario Odyssey“; it’s clever, and massive, and beautiful, and deeply referential, and so much more. It is, frankly put, one of the best Nintendo games of the past decade — perhaps of all time.

… „Mario Kart 8 Deluxe“ …

Whether you’ve been playing „Mario Kart“ games for years or you’ve never touched one, „Mario Kart 8 Deluxe“ is a tremendous delight.

It’s the definitive „Mario Kart“ experience, with a ridiculous number of courses and playable characters. Best of all, the Switch becomes a portable „Mario Kart“ machine if you take the console in portable mode — each Joy-Con becomes a gamepad, and the Switch is the screen. Being able to casually challenge a friend to „Mario Kart“ by simply having the Switch with you is pretty incredible.

Crucially, „Mario Kart 8 Deluxe“ is a perfect game to play alone or with friends. The vast majority of the time I’ve spent with the game has been sitting next to my wife, playing together online against the world. Since the game came out in late April 2017, it’s been a recurring delight in my apartment.